


Serendipity

by SumEsseFuiFuturus



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Sex, College, Fluff, Gyms, Lawyers, Light Dom/sub, Love, M/M, Making Out, Masturbation, Nipple Play, Oral Sex, Professors, Rimming, Smut, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:44:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14808072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SumEsseFuiFuturus/pseuds/SumEsseFuiFuturus
Summary: Two young professionals, a doctor and a lawyer both working at a university, navigate the complicated waters of mixing love and their professional lives, of coming to terms with finding their first serious relationship at the end of their 20's, and of figuring out what it means to finally have someone to rely on.





	1. Serendipity at the Gym

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original M/M erotica fic that I've been working on for a long time. I'm very interested in feedback, especially if anyone would like to beta this work for me. It's been a side project of mine for a while and I'm finally ready to share parts of it.
> 
> The protagonists appearances closely align with Pietro Boselli/Henry Cavill (and Pietro is also the baseline inspiration for one of the characters) and Chace Crawford/Rob Lowe (who are each inspirations for the other character), for those of you who are more visually inclined. ;)

Jack really was not the exhibitionist type—in fact, that’s why he always worked out in the early mornings at the faculty club. A relatively junior administrator on campus, he preferred the peace, quiet, and lack of prying undergraduate (and graduate) eyes that he couldn’t get at the newer recreation center, even at 6:30 a.m. Though not a morning person at all, not even in the slightest bit, he always managed to drag himself out of bed and blearily force himself to use the treadmill and put in an effort with the weight room or with some solo yoga to attempt to slow his inexorable march through the final eleven months separating him from his birthday—or, as his friends had been teasing him, ‘gay death.’ In his short time at Starkhaven University, he’d quickly learned that his nearly eight years in New York city had been insufficient preparation for the bitter winters that ravaged the plains outside Chicago, and his Texas upbringing left him completely unprepared for the cold, so on a particularly blustery morning at the end of January he found himself tempted to stay ensconced in his satin sheets and down comforter, but half of his staff had already had that idea by the time he managed to grab his blackberry and check his email half-awake under the covers.

Reluctantly, Jack flung himself out of bed into the cold air of his bedroom and then trudged to the gym. It was even more deserted than usual—not even the typical assortment of septuagenarian professors making slow laps on the track around the cardio floor. In contrast to the freezing temperatures outside, the building’s old radiators were working overtime and the area near the two facing rows of treadmills in the center of the room was blisteringly, boilingly hot, so much so that Jack was nearly sweating even before he started his run. After several furtive glances around to make sure that he was alone, Jack peeled off his shirt and draped it over the arm of a treadmill.

After setting one of the hanging TVs to a financial news channel, Jack began to stretch before his run. As if on cue, someone walked into the room and disturbed his solitude. It was unfortunately not an aging academic, but instead the most stunning young man that Jack had ever seen. The stranger looked like he had wandered off from the set of a _Men’s Fitness_ shoot, with a stupidly-perfect amount of muscle bulging obviously through his form-fitting workout tights, the kind that came up to your mid-calf which Jack never had the courage to wear in public, and a tight tank-top. Jack swore that the other man’s biceps were bigger than his own thighs, his chest was something Jack didn’t think a real human could achieve without Photoshop, and his strong legs were in a shape that Jack had only ever dreamed about, even with well over a decade as a runner under his belt.

Jack had always appreciated a good physique, but muscles usually didn’t strike him quite like that—twinks usually did it for him, because he didn’t usually bottom and he always felt weird being smaller than whomever he was dating, but this stranger instantly hit the reset button on his preferences, and his mind immediately set to wondering how good those big muscles might feel pinning him to his bed, or, better yet, to the patchwork of rubber tiles covering the slate floor they were standing on.

What Jack thought was a split-second glance was actually several seconds of intense staring—a concerted effort on his part to memorize every curve and angle of the stranger’s perfect body—but he only realized this after a soft, masculine “Good Morning,” with lilting vowels that he had trouble placing with a recognizable accent.

Jack’s blue eyes snapped up to meet the beautiful, hazel gaze that was now fixed on him, feeling his own cheeks grow hot from the shame of his indiscretion, expecting some form of rebuke. Starkhaven was a secular institution, but Jack had never quite shaken the fear of outing himself as gay that had followed him from childhood. The other man had wavy obsidian hair cut with a slight, calculated asymmetry to let it drape gracefully over the left side of his forehead, framing his perfect bone structure, the chiseled cheekbones and jawline that he had obviously stolen from some Florentine museum—handsome enough to make Jack exceptionally nervous. He reasoned with a healthy dose of self-deprecation, that such an attractive man as that probably wouldn’t be receptive to his observations, but no scoffing or threat came.

“Good morning,” Jack finally managed, his voice coming out dreamier than he’d meant it to. “Sorry for spacing out, there. I’m really not a morning person,” he added, rubbing his arm and looking down at his feet. The two of them were about ten feet away, as the other man had thankfully not chosen the machine directly opposite from his, but instead catty-corner to it.

The stranger chuckled. “I didn’t even notice,” he replied, the accent still eluding Jack. Something European, but very mild. His hazel eyes flitted over Jack’s exposed torso obviously, which made Jack’s blush start to work its way down to follow, suddenly feeling the contrast between them to be a new source of shame and alarm, wishing that he still had his shirt on, or that he’d decided to shave before the gym, or done his hair, but the other man just offered him a small smile.

“Is it always this warm in here?”

Jack shook his head and bit back a quip about it suddenly being _much_ hotter than it had been second prior. “No, this is new. It’s an old building, so the weather must be too much for it,” he reasoned.

“It’s a nice contrast to the snow. We’ll have to pretend it’s summer,” the other man replied, cheerfully. He sound like a morning person. French, maybe?

“Absolutely,” Jack agreed, stepping up onto his machine and starting the belt.

The stranger’s eyes were on Jack again for a moment, as if he were deciding something, before he put his hands at the hem of his shirt and pulled it off swiftly, crossing his arms to show off his muscles just like in a cologne ad. Jack nearly had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from responding audibly to the other man’s simply perfect abs—he didn’t know how many abs one was supposed to have, but this guy seemed to have at least eight. He was the sort of man that Jack would have designed in a lab for himself, were he aware of his latent attraction to muscular jocks—big, defined, but not huge and out of proportion like a body builder—a sudden realization that he wanted that as much as he wanted to _be_ that.

Jack offered him one more sheepish smile, before beginning his run. He slipped in his earbuds, but realized after a few minutes that he’d neglected to select a song because he was so flustered from the encounter. As they ran, Jack snuck a few more glances, but was caught every time and rewarded with a smile, and he could swear that he was catching the other man in return in his peripheral vision. About ten minutes in, Jack increased the speed and elevation—and so did his new friend, who clicked it up one more notch. Jack matched that, and then five minutes later it happened again, as he felt a strange sense of competitiveness with him. Running was his favorite way of staying in shape and he wasn’t about to let this muscle guy beat him at it.

By the time Jack’s 30 minute run ended, he was nearly sprinting, but was relieved to see the other man’s machine slow to a stop as well—at least he hadn’t been beaten in endurance. He threw his shirt over his shoulder and walked over to the bank of water fountains, and was quickly joined by the stranger.

“Ciao. Mi chiamo Luca,” the guy offered with an extended hand. Ah, Italian!

“Shit. I knew it was a mistake to study French,” Jack quipped, as he accepted the handshake. Up close the man seemed even taller, easily four or five inches taller than Jack was, and his grip was very firmed. “I’m Jack.”

“I’m sorry—I sometimes forget English when I’m nervous,” Luca said, reverting to his almost sing-song English. “It’s nice to meet you, Jack.”

Jack grinned, looking away for a second. “Me, too. Just with me, it’s usually babble and stammering instead of an impressive display of bilingualism that takes over.”

Luca laughed. “I somehow doubt that.”

Jack shuddered slightly at that statement. They were standing close enough that he could smell Luca, and he was a little overwhelmed by the clean, masculine scent that he was putting off—like the accent, it was something that he couldn’t quite place in his memory.

“Ok, you doubt that. I’ll doubt that a guy like you has anything to be nervous about,” Jack replied, mouth somewhat on autopilot. “I mean, it’s rare that anyone can keep up with me.”

“Now _that_ I don’t doubt.”

Jack looked down at his own feet for a second. “So, why _are_ you nervous?”

“I’m giving a presentation later. They gave me a guest pass, and I was hoping to blow off some steam, but it’s only partially working,” Luca said.

“Oh,” Jack said, disappointed that Luca was apparently only visiting. He saw a single drop of sweat drip its way down Luca’s chest and abs and he felt a sudden urge to dive in and lick it off of him. “What’s it about?”

“I’m running a longitudinal study tracking the outcomes of patients who have had a certain new kind of brain surgery,” Luca explained. Jack appreciated the lack of jargon.

“Wow. Are you a brain surgeon?”

Luca chuckled. “I’m more of a researcher than a practicing physician.”

“That’s not a no, though.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“So, it’s a yes?” Jack teased. Just by being in the faculty gym, Jack knew that Luca had to have been some sort of academic, but his first instinct was to guess that he was in the physical training department, not a medical doctor.

“It is.” Luca laughed, as he put his shirt back on. Jack took the cue to follow. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the weight room is, would you?”

“You can’t tell it from looking, but, yes, I do. I was about to go there now, if you want to follow me,” Jack replied, earning another laugh. “You’re probably even strong enough to spot me,” he added, not knowing at all how he was managing to be coherent around him, let alone joke around.

“I’d be happy to,” Luca agreed, as they started to walk. The faculty health club was shaped like a “T,” with a lobby separating the locker rooms from the cardio area. The weight room was a more recent addition in a space past the pool that made up the bottom of the “T,” so the two of them walked through the heavily-chlorinated room before they got to an area with free weights and a few machines—it wasn’t nearly as impressive as the student facility, but it got the job done.

“I really like your cologne, but I don’t recognize it,” Jack blurted out, smelling him again as they passed through the doorway.

“I’m not actually wearing cologne, but thank you,” Luca replied, mildly.

“Oh. I’m not normally this awkward,” Jack said, truthfully.

Luca shrugged. “You’re much more forthright than most American guys. I like it,” he said, which made Jack’s heart skip a beat. “I was planning on doing chest. Where are you in your rotation?”

“Um, I was going to do arms today, but I can do chest. You should feel free to take the lead. You obviously know what you’re doing,” Jack replied. Luca smiled and led them through several different exercises, offering Jack tips and advice as he did so. Worried at first that Luca would be condescending, Jack actually found him to be exceptionally sweet and patient. Normally, Jack hated being told what to do, but he was surprisingly happy to take orders from Luca, especially when Luca reached down to correct his grip on the chest press machine, narrowing it a little.

“It’s better on your shoulders to line up your index finger with the groove, here,” Luca explained. “Not your pinky.” Luca was standing behind the weight bench ready to spot him, and Jack found himself in the enviable position of having his head within inches of Luca’s crotch. The stretchy material of his gym tights left something to the imagination, but not much, and Jack wondered if there was any area at all that Luca wasn’t gifted in.

After doing his set, he traded places with Luca—who’d put almost twice as much weight on the bar as he had—and wondered what use he could possibly be in that situation, but managed to do it alright. He was impressed that Luca didn’t do any of the typical macho, alpha male things like grunting while he lifted weights, even though he had the sort of body that would entitle him to them.

“I mainly workout here instead of the student rec, because there’s no-one around, but I’m glad you were here. You’ve shown me how many mistakes I was making. But in a nice way,” Jack noted, once they’d cycled back to the bench press and he laid back on it after a set.

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m a personal trainer on the side,” Luca said, softly. “You were doing a lot of things right.”

Jack chuckled. “Of course you are,” he murmured. “In Italy?”

“I’m from Italy, yes, but I came to the US for college and medical school. I’m at Columbia,” he replied, leaning over the bar to look down at Jack, a posture that Jack didn’t find unappealing.

“No shit? I went to Columbia Law. I thought for sure I would have noticed you around campus.”

Luca chuckled again. “It’s a big campus. I’m positive I would have noticed you, too,” he said, which made Jack grin. “You’re a lawyer?”

“Yeah, I work in campus administration here,” Jack said. He got so distracted during their workout that he neglected to check his watch, and caught the time on a clock out of the corner of his eyes. “Shit! I have to be at work in Lincoln in 20 minutes,” he said, bolting upright and nearly head-butting Luca. He still had to shower and get dressed, not to mention make it across campus in the snow.

“I hope I haven’t kept you.”

Jack shook his head. “No. It was me not paying attention to time. I was really enjoying myself,” he said, quickly. He paused, rubbing his wrist for a moment. “Actually, I’d really like to buy you a cup of coffee to say thank you, it’s just that I really have to run. If you’d’ve wanted that, anyway.”

Luca smiled. “Absolutely. I’ll be here again bright and early tomorrow… Maybe we could workout together again, and then I could take you up on that?” he said, sounding hopeful in a way that excited Jack. The thought of getting up early on a Saturday ranked among Jack’s worst nightmares, but he was willing to suffer through it for a chance to see Luca again—he was struck by how nice Luca had been, apart from his obvious hotness, and he would take any chance he could get to get to know him better, in any sense he could get.

“It’s a date,” Jack agreed. “Er. Well. I mean—,” he started, but Luca cut him off.

“Date sounded right to me,” he offered, with a wink.

Jack grinned. “See you tomorrow, Luca,” he said, before racing off to the locker room. He grabbed his gym bag and the folded-over garment bag containing his suit and locked himself into one of the individual changing rooms, which had a shower, toilet, and sink. As he locked the door, his hand hovered over the lever for a second—a great deal of him wanted to leave it open, or wished that he’d invited Luca to join him, but that wasn’t precisely the flirtatious vibe that they had going on. He’d picked up guys in college at the gym, but that was all very much more direct. With Luca, it seemed like he might actually want to get to know him.

Still, the encounter had left Jack incredibly horny and he was harder than he’d ever been when he hopped into the shower. He stroked himself thinking about what would happen if Luca walked in. Would they kiss, or would Luca just shove him against the wall and go to town? He was so strong, not that he’d have to be, given how much Jack wanted him. Or would he drop to his knees? He had perfect, pillowy lips that would look great stretched around Jack’s cock. And a muscular ass that was begging for a date with Jack’s tongue. His whole body was, actually, and Jack wanted to trace and lathe every single muscle, to get up close and personal with his amazing, masculine scent, to show him exactly how much he appreciated the hard work he put into his body.

Jack’s mind was a mess of hormones and images, fantasizing not in any particular sequence of doing every conceivable thing with Luca. As he frantically jerked himself off, he was fucking, blowing, and getting plowed by Luca. He reached around with his other hand to touch his hole and that was enough to send him over the edge, just his fingers brushing against himself and he was cumming all over the wall, biting his cheek again to avoid screaming. He couldn’t imagine a more embarrassing scenario than to be overheard masturbating to someone he’d just met—unless except Luca’d taken it as an invitation to join.

Panting and groaning for a second, Jack was surprised and frustrated to find his mind still filled with images of Luca. He wanted him even _more_ , which was exactly the opposite of the point of jacking off in the first place. Slightly embarrassed at himself for letting his horniness get the better of himself, he made sure that all of the evidence washed down the drain, before scrambling to get dressed into his favorite blue suit.

About halfway across campus to his office he realized that though they had a coffee date set, he had actually forgotten to give Luca his phone number, which made him want to fling himself into the snow, but also made waking up early again all the more important, as there was no back-up. Once he made it up to the 24th floor of the administration building, he found even fewer of his staff there than he’d anticipated. As Chief of Staff he supervised the President’s office staff and liaised between the various vice presidents, the president herself, and the board of governors, but on that snowy day he found himself sitting at the reception desk.

The president’s schedule was printed out in front of him, and he glanced at it for a moment before starting on his email, before returning to it quickly upon seeing a familiar new word.

“11:00 a.m. - Interview w/ College of Medicine Candidate Dr. Luca Cipriani, for Asst. Prof. of Neurological Medicine.”

“Shit,” Jack said aloud. The man he’d just jacked off to wasn’t just a visiting scholar, he was there to interview in his office for a job in just under three hours.

***

Meanwhile, Luca was finishing off his workout in the faculty club, and Jack was still very much on his mind. The lean blond had been able to combine nerves, confidence, and a sort of sweetness that Luca wasn’t used to with New York guys. His advisor had told him specifically to avoid any sort of behavior during his job visit that could be misconstrued as unprofessional, but that flirtation had definitely been the highlight of his visit to Starkhaven. He’d developed an immediate soft spot for Jack, golden hair and all, and that came with the instinct that he was someone worth getting to know.

Most American guys seemed to either just want sex or to string him along, but Jack had been flirtatious and open, without also groping him or propositioning him, which Luca liked. It gave him a definite confidence boost as he went into his talk, an audition to prove that he was a good enough scholar to get a job on campus, and then through his interview with the university’s provost. What he wasn’t expecting, though, was to walk into the university president’s office and see Jack sitting right there, looking picture-perfect with a slim-fit suit and his blond hair perfectly coiffed, offering him a friendly, gorgeous smile.


	2. Serendipity in the Elevator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack and Luca unexpectedly find themselves in closer contact sooner than they imagined.

For the rest of the morning, Luca was mulling over his encounter at the campus gym. After eight years of graduate and medical school, the future of his career really came down to the outcome of this job interview visit—a two-day ordeal of presentations, meals, and meetings to prove his worthiness of becoming a professor—but Jack had been a very pleasant distraction, attractive and charming enough to occupy his thoughts on one of the most important days of his life. With a mix of disarming shyness and subtle confidence, blond-haired, blue-eyed Jack managed to cause Luca to momentarily forget the huge amount of stress that he was under, and that disruption of his focus wasn’t something Luca was used to. He had been finishing up his medical residency at the same time as he had been writing and researching his Ph.D. dissertation so that he could become a medical researcher, and the gym had been his main stress relief and recreation; there just hadn’t been time for dating, so to know that there was at least one attractive man at his potential future workplace that met the illusive combination of interesting and interested added an extra bit of light to the end of the tunnel that was grad school.

The presentation itself went pretty well. Luca’s work was never something that he struggled with explaining or demonstrating his competence in, but the final two interviews on his schedule were starting to freak him out. He’d always been a research all-star, but selling himself to administrators never came naturally to him. He always had a tendency to under-value his own contributions and avoid self-promotion, but that definitely wasn’t going to work very well in a job interview situation. First, he had the provost, who was the official over the medical college dean. A biologist by trade, Luca was able to connect with her well enough and explain his work with some common vocabulary, but the president made him much more nervous, as he’d been told that she was an art historian—something that he knew almost nothing about.

The administration building, Lincoln Hall, was a towering Neo-Gothic edifice in the center of Starkhaven’s beautiful campus, and he had a long elevator ride to the top floor to consider his strategy. It was one of the most prestigious university in the midwest and working there was his dream job, which left him uncharacteristically nervous. The doors opened to the 24th floor and he followed the signs to the President’s office. When he walked inside, he was shocked to see Jack sitting behind the reception desk, looking quite different than he’d appeared at the gym—trading his blond bedhead and scruff for a perfectly-coifed and clean-cut look, and skimpy gym shorts for a slim-fit blue suit that matched his eyes. Jack lit up when he saw Luca, which made Luca tingle.

“Good morning, Dr. Cipriani,” Jack said, sounding cool and collected. The first time he’d heard his voice, Luca had remarked on how much deeper it was than he’d been expecting, and it still surprised him a little. They were on his turf this time, which made Luca a little nervous.

“Ciao… I mean, hi, Jack,” Luca said, softly. Jack stood up and offered his hand.

“Perhaps a more formal introduction is in order. Jack Bancroft, Chief of Staff and Assistant Vice President for Operations and Governance,” Jack replied, as Luca accepted the very-firm handshake. The titles didn’t really translate for Luca, beyond the communication that Jack was in a much, much higher level of power and responsibility than he was. Jack had mentioned he was a lawyer, but Luca hadn’t imagined he was so senior, and the revelation floored him for a moment.“I… I should mention that I don’t play a role in faculty hiring, but I do want to apologize if I came across as, well, weird this morning, or if in retrospect my invitation to coffee now seems at all inappropriate or… coercive,” Jack added, in a noticeably quieter and less-confident tone.

That wasn’t something that Luca was expecting, and he gave Jack a quizzical look. “Will you get fired if you go out with me?”

“No.”

“Will I lose my shot at this job if I say ‘no’?”

“No.”

“Will you feel weird… what’s the phrase… slumming it with a peasant like me?”

Jack laughed. “Absolutely not, and that’s definitely not how I’d describe a man as impressively well-educated as you are,” he demurred.

Luca grinned at him. “Then I don’t see the problem, _sir_.”

“Good. I’m glad. I’ve had a few hours to over-think this since I saw your name on the schedule and made the connection. And, please, it’s Jack,” Jack replied. “I hope your presentation went well?”

“It did. I think. They let me continue with the visit, anyway.”

“A good sign,” Jack agreed.

“Does everyone get greeted by someone as important as you, or should I feel special?”

Jack laughed again. “You should feel incredibly special. It’s because of the snow—half of our staff is out, so I’m filling in out here. If you want to hang up your coat and have a seat, I’ll let her know you’re here. Feel free to help yourself to a drink,” he said, gesturing to a well-appointed leather seating area, complete with a mini-fridge.

As Luca took a seat, Jack picked up the phone and announced his presence to his boss. Luca was intrigued by how naturally he could move between shy, flirty, and arch-professional—something that always gave Luca trouble. He found Jack’s presence to be both calming and energizing at the same time, but he attempted to focus on a mental overview of his talking points, and not on admiring Jack’s dreamy blue eyes.

“She’ll be about ten more minutes,” Jack reported. “Her meeting with the student affairs VP about the weather is going long. Could I get you some coffee or anything while you wait?”

“I wouldn’t want to put you out,” Luca said, recognizing the slight double entendre as he said it.

“I don’t mind. I was going to get myself a cup anyway.”

“That would be great, then,” Luca agreed.

“Is black ok?”

“Definitely.”

“Good. A fellow masochist,” Jack said, with a grin. Since the two of them were alone, he indulged himself and made a quick survey of the magnificent view that was Jack’s bubble butt as he left the room—he’d been admiring it at the gym, and it looked even better in perfectly-tailored suit pants than it did in shorts. When Jack returned a few minutes later, their hands brushed as he gave him his coffee.

“Grazi.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack said, turning to go back to the reception desk.

“You can’t sit over here with me?” Luca blurted out.

Jack shrugged and offered him a shy smile, before sitting next to him on the couch. “I suppose I can keep you company, now that I know we’re in that special club of black coffee drinkers,” he teased.

Luca laughed. “Is that such a rare thing?”

“Apparently so at the rate this office goes through flavored creamers,” Jack replied, wrinkling his nose. “Though personally I’d prefer to skip the coffee altogether and have a glass of bourbon, though it’s a little early for that.”

“What’s your favorite kind?”

Jack looked at him suspiciously.

“We Italians do know more than just wine.”

“Fair enough. I like Blanton’s a lot. Though, after suffering through cheap liquor in college, I can tolerate pretty much anything,” Jack replied.

Luca fished out his phone from his pocket and flipped through his pictures until he found the one he was looking for. A distinctive polyhedral bottle with a rainbow ribbon wrapped around it.

“My roommate gave me a bottle of that for graduation in December,” he said, showing Jack the picture. “It’s amazing, speaking as someone who’s still pretty much only drinking cheap alcohol.”

“I’m glad you showed me the picture. I probably wouldn’t have believed in yet another coincidence,” Jack teased. “That’s a generous present, even by Columbia standards.”

“We’ve lived together for a very long time. Platonically,” Luca said, adding the last word on instinct. “Can I ask… are you out, here at work? I’ve always found that difficult to decide on.”

Jack nodded. “I am. Starkhaven is a very liberal campus. I catch myself being nervous about it sometimes, but it’s never been an issue for me.”

“How’s living here in the midwest?”

“Better than you’d think. Not New York by any means, but that’s what I like about it. There’s a community here, but it’s much more laid back. We even have two gay bars in town.”

“Have you been here long?”

Jack shook his head. “Just since July. Enough about me, though. Practice your elevator speech on me,” he said, waving his hand.

“Elevator speech?”

“Your 45-second explanation of what you do and why you want to work here. Impress me,” Jack replied, a tone of playfulness in his voice.

“Impress you _again_ ,” Luca offered.

“Alright, big guy, _again_ ,” Jack conceded. “Impress me without lifting something heavy, matching my taste in beverages, or taking your shirt off.”

“Tall order,” Luca murmured, though he appreciated the command. It was rare that anyone actually _asked_ him to talk about his work. “I’m a practicing physician, but my main role is as a medical researcher. Along with several colleagues around the country, I’m conducting a five-year initial longitudinal study into the long-term outcomes of recent surgical interventions for traumatic nerve damage, sponsored by the Department of Defense and NIH. We have a lot of data on short-term outcomes, but I’m hoping my work can better help surgeons predict what might happen to a patient years in the future rather than just weeks or months. Starkhaven has one of the only teaching hospitals in the country with the necessary facilities and certifications for me to continue this work, and its reputation for preparing future physicians is exemplary. It’s exactly the kind of place I want to work,” he said, rote memory taking over. He was impressed by how much attention Jack was actually paying to his answer.

“So, you work with veterans?”

“Veterans and active duty soldiers, yes. The interventions we’re researching were developed in field trauma hospitals,” Luca said.

“That’s awesome. My brother’s in the Navy, so I’m always happy to hear about work like that,” Jack said. “Don’t forget that you also got an NSF grant for your dissertation work,” he added, with a wry smile.

“You read my file.”

“Cover to cover. Before we met, actually. I read everything the president does,” Jack admitted. “So, I have you at a certain disadvantage.”

Luca wanted to quip that he didn’t mind at all being at his mercy, but held back. “That just gives me license to get to know you better, then,” Luca replied. They both turned when they heard footsteps down the hallway that led further into the office suite. A young man carrying a file folder cleared his throat and Jack stood up to meet him.

“Hi, Mr. Bancroft. We just got a call from the College of Engineering about getting these invoices signed and sent back over. Something about needing to get the order in today,” he said, trepidation obvious in his voice. Much younger than either Jack or Luca, the kid was clearly a college student, judging from his polo shirt and jeans. “The president’s door was closed, so can you sign them?”

Jack opened the file and started reading. “Even if it were open, you should bring it to me first,” he corrected, mildly. “This is about their new aerodynamics suite. These aren’t the latest numbers, though. I got them to cut one computer lab, so that they’re not getting more money than physics this year,” he added, circling an item. “Fix it, and I’ll sign it.”

“I also have the reimbursement forms for the board of regents’ meeting from last week,” the intern said, handing him another folder.

“And you checked to make sure the numbers matched between the receipts and the forms?”

“Um.”

“Ok, well, do that and then bring them back to me. Next question?”

“I’ve been working on those casual Friday polo designs that you—”

Jack held up his hand. “That I trust to your capable talents, as long as you email me a proof before spending any money.”

“Then that’s all I have, Mr. Bancroft.”

“Excellent,” Jack said, as a way of dismissal.

“He’s terrified of you,” Luca noted, once the young man had retreated and Jack sat back down.

Jack grinned. “Yes, he is. He’s pretty new. He’ll figure out that he has nothing to be afraid of, as long as he’s always perfect at everything.”

“Not a high bar at all,” Luca laughed. They heard footsteps again and Jack cast an annoyed glance at the doorway before bolting up. Luca took that as a cue to do the same. An older man in a suit nod to Jack as he left the office, and a woman with close-cropped silver hair came up to Jack.

“How did it go, ma’am?” Jack asked.

“How much would it cost to fire him?”

“He’s a month into a four-year contract, so… about a million dollars.”

“Even if he’s incompetent?”

“He’d have to grope a student, shoot someone, or do drugs in a campus bathroom to meet the moral turpitude clause. Being bad at your job isn’t that something that gets you fired here,” Jack replied.

The woman frowned. “I assume you’re capable of planting some cocaine on him?”

“Whatever the job takes,” Jack said, with a grin.

“Are you enjoying playing receptionist today, Jonathan?”

“Absolutely, your worship. I am living my best authentic self out here. Answering the phone is way better than my corner office. I even got to indulge myself by getting Dr. Cipriani coffee,” Jack said, dryly.

“A sarcastic gay man? Shocking,” she replied, before turning to Luca and offering him a warm smile. “Dr. Cipriani, I’m Robin Fletcher, President of Starkhaven, and it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Your file was very impressive. How are you enjoying our snow day?”

Luca’s heart started racing. “Piacere, santità,” he said, accidentally translating Jack’s teasing, as if she were the Pope. “I… Hello, ma’am,” he corrected, quickly. “I find that the campus is quite beautiful in the snow.”

Dr. Fletcher grinned slightly. “I’m glad. And Jonathan has been entertaining you while you waited?”

“Very much so,” Luca replied, perhaps too eagerly, which made her grin widen.

“Excellent. Let’s go back to my office and you can tell me more about yourself,” she said, before leading him to her spacious office overlooking the entire campus. He was immediately thankful for Jack’s attempts to get him to practice his talking points, as they came out very easily with the president, who seemed very interested in what he had to say.

***

Jack was feeling pretty pleased with himself for not completely screwing up his second meeting with Luca, though he also felt like he wasn’t that far away from throwing up thanks to how excited he’d been in his presence. About twenty minutes after the president took Luca back to her office, she paged him on the reception phone and he went back to collect him. He opened the door and the two of them were finishing up their conversation with a handshake. He was struck again at how handsome Luca looked in his grey suit and at how effortlessly he sounded so intelligent, but he shook off his distraction and smiled at the president.

“Jonathan, would you mind walking Dr. Cipriani to wherever he needs to go next? The snow’s just getting worse and this campus can be a little confusing even in the best of times,” she said.

“Of course, ma’am,” Jack said, trying not to sound too eager. The two of them exited and Jack turned to smile at Luca. “How’re you feeling?”

“Pretty good… Practicing with you really helped,” Luca said, which made Jack’s smile grow a little wider.

“I’m glad,” Jack replied. “Let me grab my coat. I saw on your dossier that you’re having lunch in half an hour with some graduate students across campus.”

“Is there anything you don’t know?”

“No,” Jack said, as they ducked into his office.

After he grabbed his coat, he noticed that Luca was looking around the room a little bit. His eyes settled on a picture sitting on the window ledge. “You and your… boyfriend… went to Machu Picchu?”

Jack scoffed. “He’s my cousin.” The wheels in his mind turned quickly as he parsed alternative interpretations to that statement. “I mean, he’s my cousin and he’s also not my boyfriend. We go on a trip out of the country every year.”

“It seemed like a fact worth knowing,” Luca admitted, with a grin.

“Not big on competition, huh?”

“Not really, no.”

Jack slipped his coat on. “I hope you didn’t take me for the kind of guy who would hit on you so clumsily, if I had a boyfriend,” he teased.

“Not at all, and I thought you were quite suave, actually.”

“Good answer. Let’s go,” Jack said.

After stopping to let Luca grab his coat from the lobby, the two of them walked to the elevator. The heavy, antique bronze doors opened slowly to reveal the ornate car, which was original to the building except for the new controls. Jack selected the ground floor and it started moving down. He rocked a little on the balls of his feet, trying to think of something insightful to say, when the car started dropping rapidly.

The lights went off and Jack couldn’t tell how far the car had fallen by the time it came to a screeching halt. He felt himself suddenly pressed up against Luca, not knowing if he’d fallen or pushed himself against him or if Luca had initiated it. They lingered together for an eternal moment, before springing apart. The emergency lights had turned on, but the control panel was still dark and the car wasn’t moving.

Jack’s mind was racing again, feeling as though that brief contact was an order of magnitude more dangerous than a simple invitation for drinks. While attempting to avoid Luca’s eyes, he reached over to press the alarm button on the panel, but nothing happened. He tapped the emergency phone button and, again, nothing happened. His own iPhone and work Blackberry both had no signal. With the revelation that there was no way to ask for help or regain control of the situation, he realized how small the elevator car was and his vision started to get blurry. His heart was racing and he nearly started hyperventilating, bracing himself up against the wall of the elevator. There were flashes of lightning in his mind. The scent of loamy earth, decaying wood, and grass.

Jack tried to say something but nothing coherent came out.

“Eyes,” Luca said, hand on Jack’s chin. Luca came sharply into focus as Jack complied. “Are you ok?”

Jack shook his head, feeling shaky.

“Have you ever had a panic attack?”

Jack nodded.

“Do you have anything in your bag for it?”

Jack shook his head.

“Ok. Don’t worry. We’ll get you through this, ok?” Luca soothed. He wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly, which instantly calmed Jack down. “Better or worse?”

“Better,” Jack confirmed, burying his face into Luca’s chest and shutting his eyes, as he tried to breathe slowly. “Could definitely go for a Xanax, but this really helps. Small spaces and I don’t get along,” he mumbled.

“Happens to the best of us.”

“How’s this making me feel better… or did you just hope indulging my obvious love of muscle was going to make me feel better?” Jack quipped.

Luca chuckled. “No. Soft tissue pressure can activate the sympathetic nervous system, which can help avert a fight or flight response… unless it intensifies a claustrophobic response,” he explained, squeezing him a little tighter.

Jack managed a chuckle. “Like those shirts they sell for dogs.”

“Che cosa?”

“Vests that go around their chests. They squeeze a little, so dogs who don’t like thunder feel safe. One of my dogs back home has one,” Jack said, looking up at Luca, who was listening intently. His words were coming somewhat more easily, but it was hard to be eloquent still.

“Ah! I see. Do you like dogs?”

Jack nodded against him. “Love them. I had a pair of golden retrievers when I was a kid.”

“Golden like you are,” Luca noted, stroking Jack’s hair for a moment, and then putting his arms firmly back around him.

Jack laughed again, feeling some of his anxiety wash away for a moment. His three brothers all had his father’s dark hair, but he had blond hair like his mother and had always felt self-conscious about it, but the tone of appreciation in Luca’s voice evoked very different feelings in him.

“That’s probably the first time anyone has gotten away with a blond joke at my expense. Your bedside manner is very impressive. Are you like this with all of your patients?” Jack asked.

“I deal more with computers than people. But, no, this isn’t a technique I’d use with most people,” Luca replied, squeezing him again.

“Well, shucks, that makes me feel special,” Jack said, smiling for a moment before feeling faintly ridiculous when he realized that he’d needed a hug to get through something as simple as a stuck elevator.

“You are special,” Luca said, with a genuineness that shook Jack.

“How could you know that?”

“You listened to me talk about my research without falling asleep,” Luca offered, which made Jack laugh. “I hope it’s not presumptuous to… I may have, how do you say, leapt before I looked. I just met you after all.”

“Oh, definitely. If I hadn’t been into it, you’d have been screwed. But you have good instincts,” Jack teased.

Luca laughed nervously. “I’ve been told I tend to be overprotective.”

“I’m not complaining.”

“We’re going to be fine. This is the administration building. Someone’s got to notice eventually,” Luca said, softly.

Jack nodded.

“I’ll make you a deal. Continued hugs, if you tell me more about yourself,” Luca suggested.

“Just like big pharma, huh? Get me hooked with a free sample and then start charging?” Jack quipped. He stepped back from the hug and slipped off his coat, folding it and setting it on the floor, so that he could sit down. “Deal.”

Luca grinned, also shedding his coat. He sat down next to Jack and put his arm around him. Jack shrugged off the weirdness of the situation and rested his head on Luca’s shoulder. “What would you like to know?”

“Have you always been afraid of small spaces?”

“Not always. Do you know what a loafing shed is?”

Luca shook his head.

“Well… it’s like a barn, but with only three walls. It’s for cows to lay down in ,” Jack explained. “Cows are pretty fucking dumb, but not so dumb that they won’t try to go inside in a storm. Anyway. I was out riding one afternoon on my family’s ranch and got caught out in a storm, so I went into one of our really old sheds… It was out in the back forty and hadn’t been used in at least fifty years. But that’s exactly where you shouldn’t go in a storm… It collapsed around me and I was stuck there overnight until my dad and brothers found me the next morning,” Jack explained. “Ever since, I just can’t handle small spaces.”

“You grew up on a ranch? Where are you from?”

“Texas.”

“You don’t sound like you’re from Texas.”

Jack chuckled. “Yessir, I’m from near Lubbock. I don’t usually talk like this because people think I’m dumb. I’m already blond. I can’t be Texan, too,” he said, affecting a Texan drawl.

“Wow. I never would have guessed. And you ride horses?”

“I love to ride. It’s pretty much the only thing I miss about Texas. Horses are kind of dumb. And smelly. But it’s still a lot of fun,” Jack enthused. “For the record, chickens are also dumb, but pigs are pretty smart.”

Luca kept probing Jack about his upbringing and generally kept his mind off of the situation they found themselves in. Jack found Luca’s physical presence to be quite comforting, but he’d never anticipated that’s how his day would go.

“This isn’t the worst way I could imagine spending an afternoon,” Jack noted, after they had been sitting there together for quite a while. They’d taken off their suit jackets by that point and Luca was still draped around him. He’d calmed down significantly from the initial shock of being trapped, but he wasn’t willing to admit that.

“I agree,” Luca said, running his finger tips through Jack’s hair again. “There’s a word that I’ve been trying to think of… It’s like an accident, but good. When something happens by chance that works out better than what you’d planned,” he said, thoughtfully.

“Serendipity,” Jack said.

“Yes!” Luca beamed. “I’m pleased that we met. Even if we are in an elevator.”

“Me, too,” Jack said, running the back of his hand along Luca’s cheek. “The fact that I’m not a drooling mess of anxiety curled up in the corner is all because of you. I promise I’m not this docile with everyone.”

Luca scoffed. “I’d hope not,” he teased. They were so close and Jack didn’t want it to end. Luca’s muscles were warm and firm against him, and it was taking all of his willpower not to start ripping buttons open on his shirt. “Is it bad that I don’t care about missing lunch?”

Jack grinned. “I was honestly surprised that you’re not more worried about that.”

“I _do_ want this job, but I’m happy to let the universe keep us together longer instead,” Luca said, earning an audible ‘aww’ from Jack.

“You’re a romantic.”

Luca nodded. “I like to believe that I am. Are you feeling better?”

“If I say yes, will you let go?”

“No.”

“Good answer.”

Their lips were inches away and closing. A split second from touching, the double doors began to wrench open and they sprang apart. Both of them jumped to their feet and helped pull the doors open until they revealed a pair of fire fighters.

***

Luca was pleased to be rescued, though he wished it had happened about five second later. Jack switched immediately back to business mode as the firefighters explained how they found them by going floor to floor looking for the car, until they got to it on the 12th floor. Luca thanked them, but he really just wanted them to be left alone again, and was a little disappointed when Jack got right back on his Blackberry as they started walking down the stairs.

“You’ve missed lunch, but you’ve still got fifteen minutes until your meeting with the search committee, which is in the medical college. We can still get you there if we hurry,” he explained, when they reached the ground floor.

“That’s awesome,” Luca said, unintentionally coming across as disappointed. It registered on Jack’s face and he gave him a reproachful look. Jack grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the stairwell and into an adjacent empty seminar room.

“Look. After that… I don’t want to meet you tomorrow morning for coffee,” Jack said, talking rapidly.

“What?”

“I…”

“I thought that we agreed it was OK for us to go out?”

“No, no. I can’t wait that long. I want to see you tonight instead. I’ll take you out for a drink. You were so kind to me,” Jack said, nervously. They were close again and that suggestion sent a wave of relief over Luca.

“Definitely…”

“Awesome! There’s a—,” Jack started, but Luca cut him off with a kiss. Jack seemed startled for a split second, but then he melted into the gesture. It wasn’t exactly sparks, but warmth and that feeling of a perfect fit that Luca only got with his favorite pair of running shoes. New and familiar at the same time. Their lips parted, but Jack kissed him back before he could say anything and the two of them stumbled back against the closed door. Jack’s hands were on Luca’s pecs and Luca’s went automatically to cup Jack’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry. I needed that,” Luca explained, rubbing Jack’s cheek with his thumb. Jack reached up to hook his fingers over Luca’s hand and offered him a small smile.

“Please don’t apologize when you kiss me,” he said.

“Deal,” Luca replied, before kissing him again.

“I needed it, too.”

Luca rested his forehead on Jack’s. “I don’t think I’ve actually told you how beautiful you are, yet.”

“Not in words.” Jack was blushing. “But you’ve been pretty clear that you like me. I keep trying to find ways of explaining it away, since you’re so clearly out of my league.”

Luca smiled. “Please don’t speak that way about yourself when I kiss you.”

“Deal,” Jack said, softly.

Each time their lips broke apart for a quick breath, Luca was overcome with a sense of hunger and longing to reestablish the connection, until they were making out in earnest. Standing up, their bodies fit together in a much more pleasing way than had been possible sitting on the floor of the elevator—Jack’s slender, slightly-shorter frame meshed perfectly into Luca’s taller, more muscular body. Jack’s kisses were full of such urgency that Luca couldn’t help but groan softly into his mouth. Their close contact had Luca rock hard and from the way Jack’s silken dress pants were tented as he rutted up against his thigh, he could tell Jack was in the same boat.

They paused briefly as the firefighters footsteps could be heard outside the door, bodies frozen but still tightly interwoven as they listened to the men just a few feet a way laughing and joking. They shared a look of relief once the footfalls had died away. Lacing his fingers into Jack’s short blond locks, Luca kept Jack’s head still so he could plant a kiss just under his defined jawline. Groaning softly from Luca’s mouth on his skin and his firm grip on his hair, Jack put one hand on Luca’s shoulder and the other on his head, pushing him down slightly.

“Lower?” Luca’s lips brushed against Jack’s pale skin for those two syllables, causing the shorter man to shudder visibly.

“Lower. No marks,” Jack said, gasping at the sensation of Luca’s teeth briefly on his neck. Luca laughed softly, sucking just hard enough to make him squirm but at a pressure he hoped would leave his skin immaculate—it was a little early in their very short acquaintance for him to start marking his territory. Jack was chewing hard on his bottom lip to keep from crying out as Luca teased his neck; from the way his hard-on was pressing into him through their clothes, Luca could tell the gasps and shudders weren’t just play-acting.

“Seems like I found your ‘on’ switch.”

Jack started to laugh but it quickly turned into a moan when Luca applied his teeth again, the blond’s fingers gripping his hair tightly. Caught up in the moment, Luca was only a split second of hesitation away from sinking to his knees, but he paused when Jack’s phone started ringing.

“Sonofa…,” Jack grumbled, as he slipped it out of his pocket.

“Don’t answer,” Luca complained.

“It’s the medical school.”

“Don’t answer.”

Jack answered anyway, and the two of them straightened up, smoothing their clothes as Jack listened to the person on the other end for a few minutes, as he explained why Luca had been so terribly late.

“We’ve got an extra five minutes,” Jack announced, after hanging up.

Luca leaned in for another kiss, but Jack stopped him with a finger.

“Oh, you mean to get over to the medical building,” Luca said, with a grin.

“Yes, because if I let you kiss me again… I’m going to rip your fucking clothes off.”

“Fair enough,” Luca said, though he really wouldn’t have minded.

The walk across campus was bitterly cold, but Jack managed to navigate through the snow with ease. As they were shaking the snow off of themselves in the entryway of the medical building, Jack grabbed Luca’s hand again and pulled a silver pen out of his pocket. He wrote his number on Luca’s palm.

“Last time I didn’t give you this and I was kicking myself all morning. But this time… text me when you’re done, so that we can go grab that drink?”

“Count on it,” Luca said, sincerely. He looked swiftly around, and then pecked Jack on the cheek.


	3. Serendipity over Wine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long, delay guys and gals. I hope you like this installment--it definitely heats up. ;)

On his way to the all-important meeting with the search committee, Luca ducked into the bathroom to splash a little cold water on his face and to make sure that his hair and tie were still presentable. He smoothed his dark hair back into place, smirking at the knowledge that he’d done much more damage to Jack’s golden blonde hair, with his fingers fully intrenched in his immaculate locks as they were making out. As he tightened his tie back into place, he thought about the marks he’d undoubtably left at the base of Jack’s neck and memorized the taste and scent of his soft skin and lips. In their short time together, Luca had already been struck by how many different versions of Jack there were: the shy, flirtatious side that had come out in the gym, the vulnerable, affection-craving side he’d shown in the elevator, and especially the ravenously horny side that he’d met only briefly in the seminar room, all of those sides of him infused with a wry sense of humor that Luca never seemed to be able to accomplish himself. What Luca also had a harder time with was switching moods as quickly as Jack had been able to brush off their near kiss and then their dry-humping to switch back into business mode. A large part of Luca would have preferred that they just kept going, until he found out exactly what it would take for Jack to melt completely into a pool of mewling and begging, but he was glad that at least one of them had self control. It was precisely the wrong moment for him to be distracted by anything let alone a man, but Jack was completely dominating all of his senses and it took him a minute to calm himself down and turn himself back into an academic.

Apart from making him distractedly hormonal, Jack’s glances and grins and touch had also made him feel invincible walking into the last few parts of his interview visit—he wasn’t a stranger to being stared at, but with Jack there was another layer than just physical attraction, something that he was definitely more eager to explore than to sit through the formalities of getting the job!

Before leaving the restroom, Luca had the foresight to enter the number Jack had written on his palm into his phone, not wanting to lose his shot with Jack due to sweaty palms.

 _“Just in time for my next meeting. Thank you so much. I would have liked so much more time with you, though, bello,”_ Luca sent. Confident that he once again looked professional, or at least didn’t have a massive hard-on jutting out of his suit pants, he dashed to the conference room just as his window with the committee was starting. The meeting was nerve-wracking, as he basically had to go through his own resume and not only show how he was a good fit for the job, but also demonstrate that he was familiar with the committee members’ own research interests and how his would complement theirs. It was sort of like having a bunch of blind dates all at once, though Luca felt like he managed to get through it 

Since he’d missed his lunch, the committee found him a vacant office and had some poor delivery person go through the ice and snow to get him a sandwich and chips. Once he was alone, he slipped his silenced phone out of his jacket pocket. There was a message from Jack, and just seeing his name made Luca tingle.

_“Believe me, if I thought that we could have gotten away with even a second longer, I wouldn’t have let go, big guy.”_

_“I’m glad one of us had enough sense to let you answer the phone. I think the meetings went well,”_ Luca sent back, smiling to himself as he dove into a chicken club sandwich.

 _“There was no doubt that you’d kill it.”_ Jack, sent back.

“ _I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”_

_“I hope I didn’t distract you, too much. ;)”_

_“Maybe I have just met you, but I think we both know I’ve already got a soft spot for you.”_

Luca’s heart was practically pounding its way out of his chest. Was he saying too much?

To his slight disappointment, Jack didn’t address it either way. _“It wasn’t so soft from my recollection, sir. Where would you like to go after your dinner tonight?”_

Luca chuckled; Jack was as whip-sharp as ever. _“Anywhere with you, as long as I can change out of this suit first.”_

_“WI thought we’d go to Grape and Grain, since it’s near your hotel. Dressy casual. It’s a wine and cocktail bar.”_

_“That sounds great. I’ll text you after dinner’s done.”_

_“I’ll be waiting. You’ll have my complete, undivided, and eager attention all evening. :)”_

Luca again had to calm himself down again to resume his lunch, and again it was tempting just to abandon the whole thing and run back up to Jack’s office—though he had the definite sense that such a gesture would be a turn-off to the blond lawyer. His next meeting was with the dean of the college of medicine—the official who was actually in charge of making the decision about who to hire. That was a much more stressful meeting than any of the others, but he got asked good questions and the dean seemed very interested in what he had to offer.

The good thing about the blizzard, though, was that it kept his dinner mercifully short. It was at a really nice restaurant, but Luca found it difficult to actually relax and enjoy the meal, while still having to appear professional and knowledgeable. Thankfully, the professor who didn’t seem to like Jack wasn’t also at the dinner. He was surprised when one of the professors handed him the wine list to let him select what they were going to drink—not that he ended up having much of it, because he was too nervous that he’d lose track and risk making a fool of himself in front of his potential colleagues. As stressful as it was, Luca did somewhat enjoy being the center of attention and getting to talk about his work, but he was much more looking forward to seeing Jack again.

Once he’d been deposited back at his hotel after dinner, he texted Jack.

_“Just finished dinner. Are we still on for that drink?”_

_“Absolutely. Grape and Grain is two blocks south of your hotel. Do you want to meet there in half an hour?”_

_“I can’t wait. I’ll see you then.”_

Luca quickly stripped out of his suit and took a quick but thorough shower, as he had every intention of getting up close and personal with Jack. He traded his suit and tie for jeans and a black checked button-up with the sleeves rolled up and three buttons open to show off his chest. He grabbed his jacket and gloves and headed out into the snow with just enough time to make it to the bar. When he walked in, he was surprised at how busy it was for such a snowy night. There were several semi-circular booths made to look like wine casks against the wall opposite the bar, and Luca quickly found Jack in the one furthest away from the door with half of a dark red cocktail in front of him. He was wearing a navy blue sweater that really brought out his eyes.

Jack’s face lit up when he saw Luca and slid out of the booth to greet him. They embraced and Luca kissed him on the cheek, lingering for a moment as he got reacquainted with the woody, masculine scent of Jack’s cologne.

“ _Ciao_ , Luca,” Jack said, his voice sounding breathy and nervous. He squeezed Luca tightly for a moment, before slipping back into the booth. Luca hung his jacket on a hook next to the booth and then sidled right up next to him, liking the way it felt when their legs touched.

“ _Ciao, bello_. You started without me?” Luca said nodding to the drink.

Jack chuckled softly. “I thought I’d be more palatable a drink in. You saw how nervous I got today,” he explained.

“I found you to be quite… palatable,” Luca noted, pecking him on the cheek again as he fingered the stem the cocktail glass. “I’d tell you not to be nervous, but I am, too. I was thinking about you all day.”

Jack smiled. “Flatterer.”

“Is this a Manhattan?”

“Yeah, actually. You know classic cocktails?” Jack said, his face lighting up.

“One of my roommates is a bartender and he practices on us,” Luca explained. “Manhattans and Old Fashioneds are my favorites. Martinis I can go either way on.”

“I thought we could get a bottle of wine to share, but they can make anything you could possibly want here,” Jack said.

“Splitting a bottle of red wine with you sounds ideal.”

Jack slid the thick leather-bound wine list and his drink in front of Luca. “Great. You should finish this to catch up with me. Pick anything you want.”

Luca pushed the book back to him. “I’ll drink the cocktail, but they made me pick the wine at dinner, and I’d like to learn about _your_ taste,” he said.

Jack pursed his lips for a second, but shrugged and opened the list. Luca leaned over, resting his hand on Jack’s thigh as he watched himflipping through. Jack shuddered and he chewed on his bottom lip from the attention. Once he settled on a bottle, he snapped the list shut and flagged down a waitress.

“Another cocktail, sir?” she asked.

“No, actually. Could we get a bottle of the Marchesi di Barollo Riserva 2005, please?”

“Of course. I’ll be right back with that,” she replied, as Jack turned back to Luca.

“What does that tell you about my taste?”

“That it’s exquisite and expensive. I’ve been to that vineyard. One of the best in Italy,” Luca replied, knowing that it was probably a $150 bottle of wine.

Jack blushed a little. “It’s my treat.”

Luca’s heart twisted a little—he didn’t really like it when other people spent money on him, and had realized suddenly that he’d never been on a date with someone who made more money than he did. “You don’t have to.”

“I’d like to. You were so sweet to me today,” Jack said, quietly. “ _Really_. I’d like to. And besides, I was the one who asked _you_ out, so I get to pay if I want to,” he added, more brightly.

Luca considered that. “I’m already finding it very difficult to say ’no’ to you,” he replied, squeezing Jack’s thigh and rubbing it with his thumb, making the blond squirm happily.

Jack grinned. “I’m much more accustomed to ‘yes,’ anyway. It’s easier if you just surrender.”

“Thank you, then,” Luca conceded. Jack pushed the cocktail a half-inch closer to him. “This is _really_ good. Is this bourbon or rye?” Luca said, after taking a sip.

“Bourbon. I started drinking these when I moved to New York to seem more sophisticated than I really am,” Jack teased. “In Texas I mainly just drink bourbon straight.”

“I love that you’re from Texas. I’ve always wanted to go out with a cowboy?”

“If you’re going to call me a cowboy, I’m going to call you an Italian Stallion,” Jack threatened.

Luca grinned. “As long as you ride me, too,” he quipped, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Jack’s blue eyes got wide for a second, but a smirk flashed across his pretty lips. Luca’s mind was filled with all of the things he wanted to do to Jack, remembering how good his lean body had felt against his own.

“I do love it when a man can keep up with me.”

“That’s what you said this morning. You must really not be used to it.”

Jack grinned. “I’m not. Most men are dull, but not you, and that’s incredibly attractive,” he said.

Before Luca could reply, the waitress returned with the bottle of wine and two glasses. She showed him the label and Jack nodded, prompting her to uncork it. She poured a tiny amount in one of the glasses, but Jack nodded to Luca.

“He’ll try it. He’s actually Italian, so he should know whether it’s good or not.”

Luca took the glass and swallowed the drop of wine—it was incredibly well-balanced and far better than nearly any wine he’d ever tasted. “ _Magnifico_ ,” he said, looking right into Jack’s blue eyes as he said it. The waitress smiled and poured their glasses for them. “Truly magnificent,” Luca repeated, still looking at Jack. ”The wine’s good, too.”

Jack took a sip from his glass and nodded. “Thank you for meeting me. Today’s been kind of unusual, but… I’m really glad I met you,” he purred, before leaning over to peck Luca on the lips.

“The feeling is very much mutual.”

Jack grinned, and then focused on his wine glass for a moment. “So, how was dinner?”

“It was fine. I think they like me,” Luca said.

“It’s hard not to.”

Luca chuckled. “I’ve been talking about myself all day, though. I want to hear about you.”

“Fair enough. What do you want to know.”

“So, I’m not supposed to like that you’re from Texas?”

Jack laughed. “It’s fine. I’m just not used to that. People seem to think I’m less intelligent once they find out. I can’t be both blond _and_ Texan,” he said. “I never had much of an accent, but my father and grandparents talk more like this, so most people don’t notice unless I tell them,” he added, switching momentarily to a drawl.

“I wish I could turn my accent off sometimes,” Luca said.

“Don’t. It’s so sexy. Each Italian word you say makes you about 5% hotter.”

“ _Vediamo se possiamo ottenere che a un centinaio_ ,” Luca said, more than happy to let his mother tongue score him points with Jack.

“See? I have no idea what you just said, but it’s super sexy. I get what you’re saying, though… It’s probably not easy being an immigrant in the US right now.”

“It’s not,” Luca confirmed. “It sometimes surprises me that people can still be that way in academia.”

“Yeah. I love my job, but there are some people that are hard to work with. A few people who treat me like I’m here because of _who_ I am, not because of what I’ve accomplished,” Jack said, looking at his glass again. “And don’t get me wrong. I like this job so much more than what I was doing in New York.”

“What was that?”

“I worked for one of the top law firms in the country, mostly in financial law. I was really, really good at it and made a bunch of money, but my anxiety was through the roof. After four years, I was having a panic attack nearly every day and I needed to get out of there,” Jack admitted. “And that was on top of helping the rich stay rich, which wasn’t very rewarding.”

“I’ve treated a few Wall Street guys… If they’re stressed out, I can only imagine how tough it is to be one of their lawyers,” Luca said.

Jack scoffed. “Yeah, it was awful. I like a challenging job, but that was a little too much. There are tough moments in this job, too, but most of the time I can leave my work at the office.”

“You’re not bored at all? I’m sure managing the whole university is difficult, but… you’re a world class lawyer and you’re clearly one of the smartest people on campus,” Luca asked.

“I don’t think it’s what I want to do forever. Keeping track of all of the contracts and legal mechanisms that make the university work is interesting, but managing someone else’s schedule is pretty boring,” Jack admitted. “I’ve got a three-year contract, so, I’m looking at as a chance to figure out what I really want to do. I definitely prefer working for the ‘good guys,’ though.”

“How’d you end up here specifically, though? Wouldn’t you rather be in Texas?”

Jack wrinkled his nose. “Texas is fine, but I don’t think I’d want to live there. My uncle went here and is on the alumni board. He saw the position and knew how miserable I was, so he encouraged me to apply. We have different last names, so nobody found out we were related until I was already hired. My father was the one who wanted me to work in a law firm. He’s not pleased that I left,” he said, quietly.

“Is he a lawyer, too?”

“Nah. He was in politics. Now he’s just in business. When you have as much money as he does, you kind of expect your children to do whatever you say,” Jack said, studying the stem of his glass. He didn’t seem particularly pleased about the mention of his father.

“If that’s a sore subject…,” Luca said, stroking his thigh again, which earned him a smile.

“No. You’re fine. We’re not very close. It’s a dumb thing to complain about, but I’ve had so many advantages in life that I’ve always felt like I’ve had to work that much harder to earn them, so I hate being accused of… nepotism,” Jack explained. Luca nodded, and studied him for the moment. Earlier, he’d noticed how nice Jack’s suit had been, and the sweater he was wearing looked expensive, but he’d chalked that up to his job at first. He suddenly felt silly for worrying about an expensive bottle of wine and was even more intimidated by him knowing he came from money.

Jack swallowed nervously. “I could understand if that changed your opinion of me.”

“It doesn’t. My family doesn’t have any money, but I can relate. Being a gay immigrant comes with a lot of accusations of the same thing, so I just had to be better than everyone else on top of it,” Luca soothed.

“If we’re being honest, when I first saw you I was really, really _attracted_ to your muscles, but then when I figured out how intelligent you are, that’s what sold it for me,” Jack said, with a soft smile. “I’m actually incredibly intimidated that you can be so fit and be such an accomplished scholar.”

Luca laughed. “I’m not the intimidating one. Not by far.”

Jack scoffed.

“No, really. You were so in charge, today. Everyone seems to listen to you.”

“Not everyone. I’m not _always_ in control, anyway. Just at work.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Luca murmured, rubbing his leg with his thumb, which made Jack shudder. Jack’s desire then to let him have control was apparent, but Luca managed to maintain his composure for a moment and sip his wine. “What do you do when you’re not in charge, then?”

“I’m not that exciting. Mainly I read. I usually go through three or four books a week. Literature mainly, but I also have a soft spot for romances,” Jack said. “One of the reasons I took this job was to have more time for that. There are some weeks that are harder than others, but for the most part I get to leave my work at work.”

“That’s a lot of reading. I envy you—graduate school’s been my entire life for the last few years” Luca replied.

Jack laughed. “Well, maybe if you didn’t work out five times a day you’d have time,” he teased.

Luca grinned. “Only two times a day. Usually. Sometimes at lunch, too,” he replied.

“ _Oh_ , excuse me,” Jack chuckled.

“I’ll always find the time for that. It keeps me sane. You are obviously no slouch there either if you’re there at 6:30 every morning,” he purred, grip getting a little tighter on Jack’s thigh.

“I try to make it to the gym in the morning before work, and do yoga a few times a week…,” Jack admitted. “I really appreciated the pointers in the weight room you gave me.”

Luca smiled. “I’d love to really put you through your paces sometime,” he teased. “Like I said, I do a little personal training on the side. Lately I’ve only been taking female clients, though. I found that guys mainly wanted in my pants.”

Jack swirled his glass of wine a little. “Guess I’m out of luck on two counts, then.”

“Oh, that’d be different, because I’d be the one trying to get into _your_ pants,” he said, punctuating that with another kiss on Jack’s cheek.

“You’re nothing if not a flatterer,” Jack noted. “Not that I mind the attention.”

“Good. Because I like giving as much of it as you can handle,” Luca said, looking him in the eyes again. His hand was further up Jack’s thigh than he’d meant it to be, but neither of them minded how close they’d gotten. As they worked through the bottle of wine, Luca kept his hand firmly on Jack and they continued to flirt and talk, as if the rest of the room was completely invisible to them. After a while, Luca saw Jack shifting uncomfortably to adjust his phone. Even though Jack’s phone was in his other pocket, Luca could feel it vibrating excitedly. “Feels like someone _else_ wants your attention.”

Jack shrugged. “I’ve already made the mistake of answering my phone once today with you when I shouldn’t have,” he said. The buzzing didn’t stop, so he slipped it out of his pocket. “Just my friends wanting me to come to the gay bar,” he said, before silencing it. He looked like he was having an internal debate for a moment. “I can show you that bar, too, if you want.”

Luca shook his head. “I would like to see that sometime, but I’m not really in the mood to share your company right now,” he said.

“I’m not ready to let you meet the gays, either,” Jack agreed. He looked at the empty bottle of wine. “I could order us another bottle, if you want?”

Luca ran his fingers along the stem of his glass. “I’m happy to stay here if you’d like to, but I think I’d rather go somewhere a little more intimate,” he said, softly. He was hardly feeling the half bottle of wine, but Jack had a much stronger effect on him and he was having trouble fighting it. “Unless that’s too forward?”

Jack grinned. “Your hand has been a half-inch from my junk for the last hour, and now you’re worried about being forward?” he teased.

“What did you say earlier? If you weren’t into it, I’d be screwed?”

“Don’t worry. I’m still very much into it. I think everyone else would prefer it if we ducked into the bathroom, before you get any further, though,” Jack whispered, as he stroked Luca’s forearm lightly with his fingertips.

Luca licked his lips. _“La prima volta che faccio l'amore con te, ho intenzione di farlo nel tuo letto,”_ he said, leaning right over to Jack’s ear. “The first time I make love to you, I’m going to do it in your bed.”

Jack shuddered visibly and Luca’s teeth were a hair’s breadth away from his skin. “The first time? We can both agree you’ve definitely earned that, but… doesn’t that imply subsequent times?” he managed, clearly conflicted from trying to tease him and trying to fight being turned on.

“That’s what I’ve got to be honest about first.”

Jack looked nervous. “You’re married, aren’t you?” he quipped.

Luca laughed. “Very much single. I’m not completely sure how to say what I want to say without coming across as too clingy, but, today has been great. I’m really enjoying getting to know you and I don’t want this to be the kind of first date where we don’t talk to each other after.”

“I don’t want that either.”

Luca sighed happily. “Great! I’m serious. Even if I don’t get this job. I like you. A lot,” he said.

“That doesn’t sound clingy at all. It sounds like a healthy human relationship,” Jack noted. “I… I’m glad you said that, though. I really like you, too. I wouldn’t be able to follow that rule about not texting for a few days, anyway.”

Luca grinned. “Yeah, me either. It’s one of the things I hate about American dating.”

“Me, too. Honestly? Lately I’d rather a man just claim me and be done with it,” Jack admitted, blue eyes getting wide after he said it. “… Um. _That_ may have been clingy.”

After hearing that, Luca couldn’t help himself. He felt himself shudder at the idea of claiming the lean blond, about making him his. His hormones took over, and he leaned over to kiss Jack hard on the lips, cupping his jaw firmly. It wasn’t even close to what he wanted to do to him, but it was all he could get away with in public, and he was satisfied when Jack let out a surprised whimper before kissing him back. He pushed his tongue past Jack’s lips for a moment, before pulled back with the realization that they were still in the bar.

“No one’s ever kissed me like that before,” Jack whispered.

“I’ve never kissed anyone like that before,” Luca said. “Does that mean you’re claimed?”

Jack bit his bottom lip. “Do I seem that easy?”

“Not at all—that’s why I want you so much. I love a challenge.” Luca was tempted to shift his grip on Jack’s leg, but he didn’t want to push the envelope on how much public affection Jack was going to allow.

“God. I need to leave right now or I’m going to lose it,” Jack muttered. He flagged down the waitress. “Hi. Could we have another bottle to go and the check? I love this wine, but I don’t want to be out too late in the snow,” he said, switching perfectly into an affable, professional tone as he handed over a credit card made of a material worth more than Luca’s whole apartment.

“Absolutely, sir. I’ll be right back,” the waitress said, retreating quickly.

Jack grinned at Luca. “If all your bravado’s accurate, I’m going to need some good wine for after,” he whispered. “You can have some, too.”

Luca pecked Jack on the cheek before the waitress returned with a second bottle of wine in a paper bag. Luca had never seen someone sign a check so quickly, before the two of them grabbed their jackets and headed out the door.

They set out into the snow, which was coming down even harder than it had been when they arrived at the bar, but thankfully the wine had left enough warmth in Luca’s cheeks to keep the chill at bay. Starkhaven was just far enough away from Chicago to not feel like a suburb, but its downtown area was still pretty compact —only spreading out a few blocks from the courthouse square , before the fifteen and twenty story buildings gave way to shorter and shorter ones. Each time they passed an alleyway or a doorway, Luca was tempted to push Jack into one and resume what they’d started over wine, but he settled for putting his arm around the shorter man’s waist, a gesture that Jack leaned into. Luca imagined that the walk they were making would normally have taken less than ten minutes, but it was fifteen before they made it to Jack’s building thanks to the blowing snow, the cold, and the rough state of the sidewalks.

Jack’s building was an old turn-of-the-century brick walk-up on the boundary between the edge of downtown and a neighborhood of Victorians and Queen Annes that Luca could barely see through the blizzard. They stomped off the snow from their boots before Jack led them up to his top story apartment on the third floor. Once Jack opened the door, the lights turned on by themselves to reveal a fairly compact apartment, though one that was full of exactly the sophisticated level of taste that Luca had already come to expect from Jack. The kitchen was modern and clean with lots of quartz and stainless steel, separated from the living room by a breakfast bar. The living room was lined completely on two sides by floor-to-ceiling shelves absolutely packed with books, the large TV set amongst them seeming like an afterthought compared to the literature. A traditional leather and brass-studded couch and armchair set, with a large red paisley ottoman filled the rest of the space, making it seem cozy and classic at the same time.

“It’s small, but I like the details in these old buildings,” Jack noted, as they got their jackets and boots off and put away near the back door. He set the wine on the counter, looking a little nervous as Luca glanced around.

“You weren’t joking about liking to read. Have you read all of these?” Luca noted.

“If I haven’t finished it, it doesn’t get to go on the shelf,” Jack replied, with a grin, as he pointed to the neat stack of books along the floor in front of the TV. “They’re one of the reasons I’m looking at houses. I have too much stuff for a two-bedroom apartment.”

“You have excellent taste, though. This is all very well done,” Luca said, as he ran his thumb along Jack’s bottom lip.

“You like the couch? I thought my good taste was already self-evident by bringing you home,” Jack teased, briefly sucking on the tip of Luca’s thumb.

“Plus the wine. And that outfit. I love a man with good taste… and who tastes good,” Luca said, before kissing him.

Jack kissed him back, but couldn’t hold back from bursting into laughter. “That _has_ to sound less awkward in Italian.”

“ _Adoro un uomo che ha buon gusto e che ha un buon sapore_ ,” Luca translated, nipping Jack’s ear.

Jack shuddered. “Much less awkward, but you haven’t even tasted the best parts of me, Luca.”

Luca hooked his fingers behind Jack’s thighs and picked him up easily to place him up on the counter. Jack let out a gasp of surprise, but that turned into a moan when Luca buried his face into the soft, fair skin of Jack’s neck, kissing him insistently and letting his teeth graze against him.

“What do you want me to taste?”

“I believe you said that you wanted ‘to taste _every inch_ of me,’” Jack quoted. “I’m fully willing to take you up on that, but I have a condition.”

“Name it.”

“That I get to return the favor,” Jack said, lacing his fingers into Luca’s dark hair and pulling gently until he had an unobstructed path to his neck, where he placed a soft kiss that made Luca shudder.”

“I can work with that, _bello_ ,” Luca, murmured, kissing him roughly on the lips. Jack returned the kiss and hopped down from the countertop, pulling Luca by the hand through the living room and a short hallway to his bedroom, which was dominated by a queen-sized platform bed covered in grey fabric and topped with a down comforter. Jack put his arms around Luca’s neck and resumed kissing him, but Luca picked him up again and tossed him down playfully in the center of the bed, crawling on top of him and pinning him to the comforter.

“You think you can just toss me around like that, big guy?” Jack challenged mildly.

Luca pecked him on the lips. “You did say that you wanted to be _claimed_.”

Jack’s body language was signaling deference and submissiveness, along with a desire to please. That, coupled with Jack’s beautiful blue eyes and blond hair which gave him a certain air of innocence to him, made Luca instantly feel a need to take control and simply worship him. He loved the way that Jack felt solid and strong under him, but also shorter and more slender than he was, which made them fit perfectly together. On top of that, he was affectionate, a little needy, a lot submissive, and clearly a total bottom. Basically Luca’s dream boy.

Jack grinned. “I did say that. Doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy on you.”

“Suits me. I like a challenge,” Luca said. “Nothing like turning a sexy, successful man like you into a whimpering, begging mess,” he whispered, before kissing him. Jack shuddered again at that comment and didn’t resist when Luca pulled his sweater and t-shirt off in one swift tug, leaving them crumpled in a heap on the parquet floor.. Luca was momentarily surprised by a sudden burst of strength from Jack, when he ripped open the buttons on Luca’s shirt and added it to the pile. Their hands were all over each other as they made out roughly in the middle of the bed, spurred on by each other’s moans and touch and smell and taste. Luca fumbled with Jack’s tight, designer jeans, which were impossible to remove until Luca slipped off the bed and Jack raised his hips so that they could be tugged off along with his socks. Jack was left spread-eagle in just his revealing blue Versace trunks, with their gold meander waistband. Jack’s last remaining garment didn’t leave much to the imagination, and the well-hung blond was straining at the thin fabric, his cock throbbing in time with his pulse as his abs showed with every breath. There was a growing spot of pre-cum that made Luca lick his lips.

“ _I_ might be the one begging,” Luca whispered, as he crawled back on top of him, grabbing his hard cock as he got chest-to-chest with him, enjoying every moan and whimper as Jack thrust up against him. After kissing him and massaging his crotch, Luca pinned Jack’s hands above him on the bed.

Starting with the blond’s neck again, Luca left a trail of kisses and light bites all along Jack’s upper body, focusing especially on his pert, pink nipples. Jack continued to moan and buck up against Luca from that treatment, and his hands made their way back to Luca’s ebony hair, when Luca released them to sink further down Jack’s lean muscles. Luca left Jack’s flexing, flat stomach covered in light marks along his abs, until his lips were at Jack’s waistband. He could feel Jack shuddering even harder under him and wondered if it was entirely out of pleasure.

There was something about the way his breath caught in his throat and how wide his pretty, blue eyes had become that Luca wondered if he may have been going too quickly in acting out their flirtatious promises. He moved up away from Jack’s tenting trunks and kissed his abs again more gently. Jack groaned softly and continued to stoke Luca’s hair, hands shaking a little.

“I think I have a condition, too. I need you to tell me if I cross a line,” Luca whispered.

“You haven’t. Everything you’re doing feels _great_. I’m just a little nervous, because I want you to feel great, too,” Jack said, speaking rapidly. “You’re just… so fucking attractive.”

Luca smiled. “I’m nervous, too, because you’re absolutely gorgeous,” Luca replied, moving all the way up to look him right in the eyes. “We’ve got all night to figure out how to push each other’s buttons, though, right?” he asked, before planting a soft kiss on his lips. “No rush.”

“Absolutely,” Jack promised, wrapping his legs around Luca’s waist and pulling him in even closer.

“I’m going to figure out exactly what it takes to make your toes curl,” Luca whispered. “This is exactly where I’ve wanted to be all day.”

“Y-yeah?” Jack shuddered.

“Right between these gorgeous, long legs of yours,” Luca said, grinding against him a little and earning a moan as his denim-clad crotch rubbed up against Jack’s ass.

Jack grinned. “Well, the second I saw you, I knew I wanted to be under you,” he admitted.

“Good. No more nerves, then. Let’s figure each other out,” Luca suggested.

“Well, I did _love_ what you were doing before. You can go lower if you want,” Jack said, his voice getting a little airy as he batted his eyelashes at Luca.

Luca grinned. “Lower, huh?”

Jack pouted, before Luca kissed him and then moved back down, skipping Jack’s crotch entirely to kiss and bite along his strong, blazing hot inner thighs, which made Jack moan loudly enough to give away that it was a good spot to tease him. Jack’s skin was fair and pink, smelling and tasting of citrus body wash mixed with Jack’s own natural scent, the barest hint of musk and something vaguely like almonds. He kept moving lower until he was all the way off the bed on the floor. Luca wasn’t really into toes, but he couldn’t help himself from mouthing the soft soles of Jack’s feet.

“This low?” Luca teased. Jack groaned, clearly liking the attention he was receiving, and Luca replied by dragging his teeth lightly against his skin until he whimpered. When Luca turned that back into a kiss, Jack smirked and pushed his foot firmly against Luca’s face.

“I definitely like you being on your knees, stud,” Jack said. He sat up and slid to the edge of the bed, resting his legs over Luca’s shoulders and leaving him inches from his bulging crotch. “And it’s fuckin’ hot to have you work on my feet, but this is more where I want your mouth right now.”

Luca couldn’t help but grin at the mix of Jack’s assertiveness and the way his breath was halting and his skin was flushed and shiny with Luca’s spit, in contrast to how his hair still somehow remained perfect. Loving the give-and-take of trading off between being dominant and submissive with him, Luca closed the distance between them to take a deep whiff of Jack, who was positively radiating heat, and then obediently began to mouth his cock through his underwear, licking and sucking him through the fabric.

For a brief moment, he felt a little bad for possibly ruining Jack’s expensive trunks with the combination of spit and pre-cum he was soaking them in, but the moans he was eliciting from the blond quickly drove that thought out of his mind. After teasing him for a while longer, Luca peeled Jack’s trunks off, getting them down to his mid-thigh as his cock slapped up against his stomach. Luca was impressed by how beautiful even Jack’s cock was; it was about eight inches long and moderately thick, which looked more than substantial on his six-foot frame, and it was perfectly proportioned and smooth.

“Is _this_ where you want my mouth?” Luca asked, before dragging his tongue all the way from Jack’s smooth balls to the tip of his cock. He massagedthe blond’s impressively muscled thighs, locking his gaze on his blue eyes as he wrapped his lips around the head.

“ _Yes_ , please,” Jack hissed, bracing his arms behind himself. His eyes got even wider when Luca took the first few inches of his cock into his mouth. Within moments, Luca could tell that Jack was barely keeping from bucking up into his mouth. Jack groaned softly as Luca bobbed up and down on his cock, giving him a wet, enthusiastic blowjob. Jack’s precum was mild-tasting and pleasant, and the soft noises of pleasure he was making had Luca rock hard in his jeans. Luca reached up to slip two of his fingers into Jack’s mouth, and the blond immediately began sucking on them. With the force of the suction Jack was giving Luca’s fingers, Luca contemplated trading them for his cock, but he wasn’t done making Jack squirm.

Once his fingers were nice and wet, Luca reached between Jack’s legs to run one of them teasingly along his hole, not penetrating him but getting awfully close. Jack whimpered loudly, pushing his ass back towards him, while Luca continued to suck on him. Luca pushed the tip of his finger just barely into Jack, still teasing around the rim with his other one and marveling at how amazingly tight Jack felt.

Jack groaned, pushing back against him again, which made Luca grin around the dick in his mouth. At several points, he thought that Jack might be close to cumming, so he backed off a little, focusing on keeping Jack as on edge as possible. Luca put his hands under Jack’s knees and pushed his legs up to give him better access to his tight hole, letting his underwear fall to the floor in the process. Jack’s ass was round and muscular, completely smooth apart from a dusting of fine blond hair on his cheeks. After getting to grope him in the elevator, all Luca could think about was getting inside Jack’s ass and with his perfect, pink hole in front of him he felt like he’d won the lottery.

“Oh, _fuck_ ,” Jack nearly screamed when Luca licked his entrance with his broad tongue. Luca pushed his legs back even further and dove in to rim him roughly, loving the clean, masculine taste of him. Squirming and moaning, Jack was left speechless. He fell back all the way on the bed and held onto Luca’s hair for dear life.

“Do you like that?” Luca asked, teasing him for the way he was so obviously losing his mind from pleasure. Jack let out a noise that was somewhere in between “Fuck you” and “fuck yeah,” which prompted Luca to resume what he was doing, using his broad tongue to push inside Jack’s tight warmth. Luca could have stayed down there eating him out all night just to listen to the beautiful, needy noises he was making, but Jack tugged on his hair, and then grabbed his shoulders to pull him back up on top of him, kissing him needily as they got back to the center of the bed.

Jack fumbled with Luca’s belt and then got the button of his jeans open, letting out a sharp sigh of exasperation when he couldn’t get them down any further than his thighs. Luca slipped out of them, keeping his mouth on Jack’s while Jack continued to run his hands all over Luca, until he managed to slip his fingers under the waistband of Luca’s compression shorts and get them off of him, so that they were both completely naked as they made out. The head of Luca’s cock was right up against Jack’s slick hole, and they both let a moan of anticipation.

“ _Damn_ ,” Jack muttered, wrapping his fingers around Luca’s erection. Luca was quite a bit bigger in every measure, and he liked way Jack marveled at his size. It was rare that he’d met anyone who could fully handle him, but the light in Jack’s eyes made him hopeful that he’d finally met his match. “Good thing I like a challenge, too,” he teased.

Jack put his hands on Luca’s shoulders and pushed him over onto his back, quickly moving down Luca’s muscular body and leaving a trail of kisses and bites along his smooth skin until he was down on his knees between Luca’s legs. Jack started with Luca’s balls, lapping at them eagerly as he stroked Luca’s cock, before dragging his tongue all the way up to the tip of it, and then sucking down about a quarter of the shaft. Luca’s eyes went wide, and he gripped the blond’s hair as he sucked enthusiastically on his member, exceeding all of the expectations he’d had for him. Jack was practically rutting against Luca’s leg while he was blowing him, getting into it in a way that turned Luca on completely, showing off a slutty side of himself that was positively mesmerizing. Jack reached up to tweak Luca’s nickel-sized brown nipples, sending shockwaves of pleasure up his spine. For a moment, one of Luca’s hands wandered over to his thigh, but Jack insistently put it back in his own hair, spurring him on to thrust ever so gently into his mouth.

“So good at that,” Luca managed, groaning as he fucked the blond’s mouth, receiving a soft moan around his cock. Jack managed to take more of him than any other guy had before and was clearly enjoying every second of it, showing it in the way his blue eyes were looking up at him and in the way his pretty lips managed to make a smile while still stretched around Luca’s dick.

It made Luca want to absolutely wreck him.

“Give me that ass again,” Luca ordered. Jack grinned and climbed back up onto the bed, so that he was laying on top of Luca with his mouth still on his cock, while also letting Luca have what he wanted. He dove in to resume eating Jack out, teasing and playing with his tight, pink hole until he was squirming and having trouble focusing on the blowjob.

Jack made the most beautiful sucking and gagging noises on Luca’s big dick, as he continued to use all of his willpower to make Luca squirm. Luca gradually added one finger, and then two, until Jack was fucking himself back on those two fingers at the same time as he was trying to swallow all of Luca’s endowment. Even in the cold room, the heat between them was incredible and they were both starting to sweat from so much extended, energetic body contact. When Jack turned back around, he was flushed and his mouth was slick with spit and pre-cum, looking so unbelievably attractive that Luca pounced on him, kissing him roughly with a hand on his throat as he pinned him on the bed.

His own split-second burst of energy surprised Luca a little, as he wasn’t normally the sort to be aggressive in quite that way, and he took his hand away sheepishly.

“I’ll tell you if I don’t like something,” Jack reminded him, bringing his hand back again. Luca kissed him again, squeezing gently at the base of his neck and earning a loud moan.

“Guess you like _that_.”

“It’ll feel even better with that huge cock of yours inside me. Please?” Jack said, teetering on the edge of begging. Luca smiled and caressed the back of his face, incredibly pleased to have been proven correct about the begging, but knowing that it wasn’t a moment to tease him.

“You’re really tight. I can get you off so many other ways.”

Jack pouted. That was nearly enough for Luca to abandon his protests and mount him right there.

“Are you saying you _don’t_ want to fuck me?”

“I’m definitely not saying that. I’ve never wanted anything more, Jack,” Luca soothed. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“I can handle you big guy. I’m not exactly fragile,” Jack said, pointedly. It made Luca feel slightly bad for thinking he had to hold back, feeling how strong Jack was under him, both in terms of physical strength but also in terms of a sexual energy that Luca hadn’t ever felt before. He liked that he was able to toss Jack around, while also not feeling like he was going to break him, and yet he also already felt an intensely strong protectiveness about him.

Luca gave him a reproachful look. “You’re _really_ strong, and that’s why I’m so attracted to you. I didn’t mean to say…”

“I trust you,” Jack said, simply. “This isn’t my first rodeo, cowboy. It’s gonna hurt a little, but then you’re going to take care of me, yeah?” he added, not entirely teasing as he stroked Luca’s hair, a tinge of nervousness hitting him in that last question.

“Absolutely,” Luca murmured, resting his forehead on Jack’s.

“Claim me,” Jack challenged, with a grin. Luca shuddered as the blond ground up against his cock. Jack reached out of bed, barely managing to open a drawer on the nightstand to retrieve a bottle of lube. “I, um, guess we should have that talk, though?I haven’t been with anyone in six months, I get tested every month, and I’m on PreEP.”

Luca nodded, kissing him on the forehead. In the heat of the moment, even as a doctor he felt a pang of guilt for not thinking to bring that up.

“Same. But it’s been… longer for me,” Luca replied. He shuddered when Jack applied lube to his cock, enjoying the slippery sensation. “You want me…?”

“Just like this,” Jack said, blushing a little. “You’re the only guy I’d do that with.”

“Same.”

“Fuck me, then, Luca.”

Luca grinned. He took the lube and applied it to his fingers. He carefully probed Jack’s hole, while he whined in anticipation, and he kept stretching him out until Jack was moaning and fucking himself against three of Luca’s fingers. After making sure that Jack was well-lubricated, Luca positioned himself at his entrance and kissed him deep on the lips. Jack nodded, blue eyes wide as Luca pushed inside of him. Jack gasped loudly, grabbing Luca’s shoulders, while Luca groaned softly at the feeling of Jack’s white-hot warmth around the head of his cock. Sensing that he was in pain, Luca tried to hold back, but Jack wrapped his legs around Luca’s waist and pulled him insistently inside of him until he bottomed out with his cock buried up to the hilt. He’d rarely encountered a guy who could take all of him, let alone all of him in one go, and he shuddered at feeling Jack’s heartbeat through his tight hole stretched out around his cock.

“So big,” Jack hissed, still holding onto him tightly. He was clearly fighting between pain and pleasure. Luca kissed him softy and ran his hand through his blond hair, making out with him until he felt him pushing up against him. He had to restrain himself from just pounding Jack into oblivion, overwhelmed by how perfectly tight he was, starting instead with shallow thrusts rocking back and forth, earning insistent, needy kisses from him. Luca reached for Jack’s cock, but Jack whimpered and intercepted his hand, his hard-on pulsing in time with his heartbeat and leaking all over his abs from how close he was from being filled up.

“You take it so well, Jack,” Luca whispered, resting his whole weight on top of Jack so that he was chest-to-chest with the blond, who moaned softly at the compliment and from the force of Luca’s dick pushing a half-inch deeper in than it’d already been. Jack squeezed his legs and pulled him even closer, making himself moan loudly in the process. His blue eyes were shining and fixed on Luca’s and they stayed like that for a long moment. Jack caught Luca’s lips again and kissed him hungrily, trapping Luca’s tongue between his teeth. As they kept making out, Luca started fucking him in earnest, savoring every moan and whimper he elicited from the blond.

The longer he stayed inside him, the more Luca knew he’d never want to be inside anyone else except Jack, his ass feeling like it was built just to take his cock. Each time he thrust into him, Jack thrust back to meet it, spurring Luca on to pound him harder. The sensation of Jack’s tightness and his warmth was overwhelmingand Luca started to zone out, just focusing on the moans and filling him up, rutting into him harder and harder until he realized that his hand was back on Jack’s throat and he was moaning just as loudly as the blond was. Luca slowed down, which made Jack whine in protest.

“Don’t stop.”

“So needy,” Luca teased, with a kiss.

Jack growled and pushed Luca up, rolling him over onto his back while keeping his cock firmly lodged up his ass. Arching his back, Jack braced himself on Luca’s big chest and sat down all the way on his dick until they both let out a sigh of pleasure. Their hands were all over each other as Jack rode Luca, Jack kneading Luca’s muscles and Luca leaving fingerprints all over Jack’s fair, flushed, sweaty skin. While Jack was bouncing on Luca’s cock, Luca grabbed his hips and pulled him down roughly to make him practically squeal with pleasure.

As much as Luca liked the sight of Jack’s lean muscles as he rode him, he much preferred to be in control during sex, so he sat up and wrapped his arms around Jack, getting more leverage to fuck up into him when he put his legs behind Luca. Jack’s cock was pressed up against the ridges of Luca’s abs, and he was shuddering and whimpering from all the attention, which made Luca kiss him harder.

“Got me so close. You’re so hot,” Luca managed, giving Jack a plaintive look.

“Me, too,” Jack gasped, as Luca put his mouth back on his neck, licking and biting at the skin there, too horny to think about the marks he was leaving. Quivering as he took the pounding, Jack whined a little as his hole got tighter around Luca, a sure sign that he was close. Luca put his hand between Jack’s stomach and his cock, holding it against his abs to give him just enough friction to put him over the edge.

Jack was a mess of “yes,” “please,” and “Luca,” nearly crying when he came all over himself, coating his abs and chest with an impressive load. Feeling that Jack’s ass had suddenly got as tight as a vice, Luca couldn’t hold out any longer and started fucking him as hard as he could, loving the way Jack was whimpering from the onslaught.

“Cum inside me. Fuck. Don’t stop,” Jack managed.

Luca lifted himself further up with his knees and picked Jack up slightly, before laying him down on the bed, managing a few more hard thrusts before he lost control completely and started cumming inside Jack’s tightness, moaning loudly as he buried himself all the way inside him. Pleasure washed over every neuron in his body, and he kissed Jack hungrily, feeling territorial and possessive over the hot blond that he’d just fully claimed. Jack’s legs were locked around Luca’s waist for what seemed like an eternity as the two of them made out slowly.They looked at each other for even longer, just sharing the afterglow of having connected so well with each other, not knowing quite what to say.

“You’re so amazing,” Luca eventually murmured, as he ran his thumb along Jack’s bottom lip.

Jack chuckled. “You did all the work, stud,” he managed.

“When you took all of me at once, I almost came right there,” Luca countered.

“I’ll have to remember that for next time, then.” Jack kissed him, and Luca couldn’t resist slipping his tongue past his lips, thrusting into him one last time and earning another soft moan.

“I like the sound of that. Let’s take a break, though. I don’t want to break _you_ ,” Luca teased, before finally sliding out of him, groaning at the feeling of Jack’s ass and feeling a pang of guilt at the whimper Jack gave him in response.

“Maybe that’s what I want, Luca. For you to just fucking break me in half with that monster,” Jack whispered, wrapping his fingers around Luca’s shaft, still mostly hard even after all of their exertions. It was definitely a tempting suggestion.

“That’s such a slutty thing to say,” Luca whispered. Jack shuddered at that comment, as Luca surveyed the total and complete mess that he’d made of Jack, his skin covered in sweat, cum, and Luca’s finger prints, looking absolutely delicious. He ran his fingers along Jack’s body and then brought them up to Jack’s mouth. “A _hot_ , slutty thing to say.”

Jack grinned and then sucked them clean slowly, making a show of his submission. “And slutty is a good thing?” he said, clearly attempting to sound innocent, even after nearly having Luca’s fingers down his throat.

“A very good thing. You look so amazing,” Luca confirmed.

“I look like I just got the shit fucked out of me.”

“Exactly. You’re glowing. I love it.”

“Do you call all of your boys sluts on the first date?”

“Only when I think they’ll like it,” Luca said, pondering Jack’s phrasing. “You’re one of my boys, huh?”

“At least for tonight, aren’t I?” Jack replied, before kissing him.

“Mmmhmm,” Luca said, as he drug his fingers through Jack’s sweaty, disheveled hair. “In fact, I plan on plowing your hot, blond ass senseless all night until we both pass out. How does that sound?”

Jack let out a needy noise. “Yes, please.”

“You’re so beautiful, right now,” Luca purred sliding down to lick a trail of clean skin on Jack’s torso, making him shudder and groan as he licked all over Jack’s front, enjoying the salty-sweet taste of every drop of sweat and cum that he’d fucked out of him, before kissing him roughly on the mouth to share the taste with him.

Jack kissed him back just as hard, sliding his leg up and over Luca’s, to get closer to him. “Thank you,” he said, batting his eyelashes at him.

“I feed you your own cum and you thank me? What a perfect little slut,” Luca groaned. He teased Jack’s mouth with his fingers again, which the blond eagerly sucked on. After a show of sluttiness that nearly made Luca roll Jack over onto his stomach and slide back into him, Jack crawled on top of Luca and nuzzled into his neck. Luca’s heart twisted at that moment of sweetness and he immediately wrapped his arms around Jack, completely happy to encapsulate him.

“I want you to spend the night. In case that wasn’t clear,” Jack said.

“Good,” Luca agreed, kissing him on the top of the head. “Remember all that clingy stuff I said before? It still applies. I’m so glad I met you,” he said, stroking Jack’s hair.

“Me, too, Luca,” he replied, voice muffled from being pressed up against him. “Don’t want you to go.”


End file.
